IMPACT OF THE SARS-CoV-2 PANDEMIC ON TRAINING ACTIVITY: SURVEY OF SURGICAL RESIDENTS

Abstract

Introduction. The global pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus led to the restructuring of healthcare activity, modifying the training programs of medical interns. The objective of this article is to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on the training of medical interns in surgical specialties and the possible solutions to the detriment of training. Material and methods. Observational descriptive multicenter study base on a questionnaire of 20 items with multiple choice answers, completed by 232 surgical residents of the Valencian Community. Results. A response rate of 36.3% was obtained. 20.9% of those surveyed treated patients positive for COVID-19 and only 39.1% of them reported having the adequate personal protective equipment in all occasions. All those surveyed indicated a decrease in scheduled surgical activity and 85.5% reported having attended a reduced number of surgeries of their specialty because they were designated to perform other healthcare tasks derived from the pandemic. 99.1% of those surveyed considered that the situation triggered by the pandemic has meant less training in their surgical field. 65.5% of surgical residents consider that it is necessary to prolong the overall training time. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the training of residents of surgical specialties. For this reason, it is necessary to evaluate these formative setbacks and ensure the implementation of useful measures to reduce the negative effect on the acquisition of surgical skills.